Wow! treats galore! Starting with these photos (courtesy of Annette), we get to experience a walk-thru of THE explorer’s pad! 🙂 Replete with an assortment of interesting Nordic regalia! Btw, are ALL pool tables that size in Norway? 😀 (there’s hope for me yet!! ..Just never taken up the game. Nice gradient this!!)

Yes, gang! Another year has come and (almost) gone!! Hey, I want to truly thank you all, for sharing your ‘liberat-ed/ing’ points of view here! It has helped me to grow immeasurably, in ways you will never know 🙂

So to you, Geir, Annette, the family (including the much anticipated NEW arrival!) Marildi, Kat, Chris, Dragos, Rafael, Marianne(Sis’), Still Awakening, 2ndxmir, and the entire bunch of jokers and ‘serious’ alike, may you all have a wonderful, fun filled Christmas and here’s loing forward to a spiritually uplifting 2016!

Calvin, thanks. My best wishes for you too and for all the teachers on this virtual space. And now let’s look forward to find and to achieve new and interesting things and to share them with our loved ones, as a start:

Hey, Rafa. Thank you too! Just absolutely amaaaaaayzing! 🙂 No wonder you keep that wide smile on your dial, brother! 😀 Soooo very much to look forward to. Exciting times for you lucky guys on the South American continent. Keep us posted will you? 🙂

yup, Calvin, ” the confidence of a bird standing on a bough is not on that branch but on their own wings ” , I do not know who told that first but, in any case, one should be ready to land very badly, I guess 😉 .

Good one Rafa! Btw, have you ever taken note of the structure/capabilities of a bird’s legs? As an artist, I have been drawing life forms of all descriptions, all my life. Naturally, anatomy has formed an integral part of my in depth studies.
You may have noticed, that a bird seems to balance ‘naturally’, even on the slimmest of wires! 🙂 An understanding of this capability, is made easier, when one likens the actual ‘balance point’,( the reverse ‘knee’ in the bird), to the wrist of the human being, where so much calibration and balance of hand movement/s are centered.

As a youngster, gymnastics and trampoline, were the earlier disciplines learnt, in achieving a high level of body awareness and balance, which served me very well in later pursuits. — Weight training, personal training, gym ownership and sports coaching.

And yes, much of my ‘passion and excitement’, is centered in humble appreciation of beauty, in all it’s abundant manifestations and forms. My current profession includes the scuplting and mass production of aesthetic human figurines, with much emphasis on the exciting of senses in others, by portrayal of the male and female form, in their most desired representations!

I take away soooo much, in just being able to be there, in the presence and wonder of the statement of manifest beauty, whether a spectacular evening sunset, or the majestic gait of a horse at full gallop. You might say, I live, to experience that! 😀

Oh, one more thing, Rafael.– I quit taking things so ‘seriously’, a while back!!!
Life is short, so why do that at all?? There’s humor to be found practically anywhere, if we can only see it, hey?? 😀

Thanks, Rafael. Different strokes… as they say! 😀 Btw, If I’ve learned ONE thing about internet communication, though … duplication can be severely tested, via missing realities! Of course, we know the answer to that dilemma…just increase the communication, right, amigo? 🙂

For now, the important comm (right here in PT), is to wish you and the family a wonderful entrance into the New Year, in anticipation of yet more realizations for you, in the experience and contemplation of FREE will! 😀

Hey guys, on another thread I proposed to Geir that in the spirit of Christmas he give Vinaire an amnesty and allow him to come back and post comments here. Geir said he would like to see how many would vote in favor of that. It looks like most of the regular posters are here on this particular thread, so what do you all say?

I, for one, think Vinnie contributes to the motion and I miss him. And besides… it would be a good opportunity for us to exercise our Christmas spirit – which I am positive every one of you has! 🙂

Well, M, me <3. For that ("amnesty") to occur, me thinks there would need to be a sincere making of amends, by our erstwhile 'contributor', currently sitting in the 'dogbox" 😦 Geir, our extremely tolerant host,(by all 'other' blog host standards) has repeatedly spelled out the route back into the 'fold', as it were.

To my limited, but never 'cold', or indifferent, viewpoint, there are certain unmistakable traits, which tend to manifest, in any attempts, to make amends in any given situation.

INSINCERITY, while using the 'right words', never quite masks an underlying attitude of arrogance and/or resentment, while retaining a 'holier-than-thou' disposition.!
The refusal to accept responsibility, in offending another/others, being the glaring give-away!!

SINCERITY, on the other hand, Marildi! What an absolute pleasure, to have an estranged someone, show up on ones's doorstep, requesting forgiveness, for any wrongs, hurt, inflicted upon another. This is the ultimate gesture of courage (where one MAY, as a result of such a request, yet be mercilessly & unceremoniously rejected! 😦 ) The sincere attempt, to do the 'responsible' thing, carries with it, this liability of outright rejection. Yet the sincere appellant, understands and can more readily accept rejection, (BE-ing wrong!) as the price to pay, for any wrongdoing.
The insincere, saddled with the valence of 'never wrong', is/are thereby prevented from the as-isness of spotting own contribution/s to ARCX/offensive acts/comm.

The solution, as we know (or should) is, as Geir highlighted in his OP, just to "Be happy, be yourself, and give lots of love to your family." ( I would include members of your blog 'family', as well as the wider family! (all other 'earthlings'), too! 😀 )

Confront, (unflinching courage) when allied to sincerity, love, & gratitude allows one to step out into the sunshine, and look beyond the confines of 'filters' and other defensive prejustice/es, armor. One can thus embrace the beauty of ALL life, and rejoice in being a participant in the bigger game of LIFE in all its majesty.

Crudely then — Cut the bullshit and pretense! Say sorry! MEAN it! And move on with sincerity, heart, and passion. — then SEE for one's self, what happens! 🙂

(Hope this no-mincing-of-words, on my part, indicates the decisiveness intended.)

To close off then, 2016 is now just around the corner. So let me now say, that the reason I love Geir's blog, is primarily for the high tone, sincerity AND INTELLECTUAL STIMULATION, generally present. In addition, open friendliness and the (mostly) lack of evident sulking and/or arrogant cold , responses. (As you can appreciate, these negative elements, do nothing to sustain (high-tone) communication and positivity, which SHOULD carry influence well beyond (temporary) Christmas spirit. 🙂

Bottom line then? Do we appreciate and understand, that it takes COURAGE to admit/undo our 'wrongs'. me ❤ ??

I understand what you’re saying, Cal, but I think the point has been made – and asking more than that can be asking too much sometimes. Maybe I have the woman’s point of view? Too bad there’s such a preponderance of male viewpoints here! 😛 But they say that men have a feminine side too – a softer and more gentle side and it can come out when applicable.

You mentioned that the new year is just around the corner. Did you know that 2016 is The Year of Mercy? Yeah, that’s what Archbishop Aymond said in this video of an interview published just yesterday, Christmas day 2015. I don’t practice Christianity per se, but its highest principles are universal, and the Archbishop describes the kind of situation we’re in, IMO, and in just a couple of minutes. Check it out:

Yes, M, me ❤ your points are also well considered and received. So is the message from the preacher, too. As it happens, perhaps gender is not a particularly divisive factor here. Again, perhaps this is more about the refusal to be responsible for one's role in offending others! Since we all happen to be mature, and purport to be somewhat enlightened beings on this forum, why the ongoing 'refusal' in question? To reiterate, I feel that Vinnie, is the ONLY one who can apply his much vaunted 'mindfulness', here, in the realization of 'amnesty' and with a SINCERE apology, thus be welcomed back by us all, including Geir.

Oh, Marild, dear sweetest of intellectual combatants, there is another approach, that may offer middle ground in the no-go area of non confront.

— That of the ‘seriousness’ impingement factor! — Just how long does this entire upset/remodeling of filters/pleas for mercy/forgiveness, defend at all costs, etc, etc, -have to actually be played out????? In other words, simply GET, that one has f—d up, have a goooood laugh, let go the ‘seriousness’ OF IT ALL — then just move on!

The rest, including an apology (in a spirit of ARC), is usually just a breeze!! 😀

(I sometimes find myself at the same time, both amused AND amazed, that I, a mere NOBODY on ‘the bridge’, am called upon, to highlight these obvious mental impediments, that I mistakenly believed everyone here, had long since dispensed with!)

Calvin: “(I sometimes find myself at the same time, both amused AND amazed, that I, a mere NOBODY on ‘the bridge’, am called upon, to highlight these obvious mental impediments, that I mistakenly believed everyone here, had long since dispensed with!) Get it, sweet ❤ ?"

Uh…no. me ❤ , I'm afraid I don't get it. IMHO, the right thing to do isn't always to "highlight obvious impediments."

Tell me this, when was the last time you apologized for having offended someone (especially another male 😛 )? Even as a female, I know it wasn't just recently when I indicated that you had offended me. 😉 Your response was the same as Vinaire's – no response. Perhaps you had your reasons – perhaps Vinnie has his.

And it seems to me you are assuming quite a bit when you say, "Just how long does this entire upset/remodeling of filters/pleas for mercy/forgiveness, defend at all costs, etc, etc, have to actually be played out?????" Certainly there have been no pleas for mercy/forgiveness on Vinnie's part.

Helping people outperform themselves

I explore the potential of free will. I help people exercise their potential and achieve what they want.

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